Angel: To desireepurnellsandi, honestly, great interpretation of Izuka! My mind was blown after reading that, and I agree 100 percent with it. She will have moments where she doesn't hold back, season 3 and 4 showcase this. I give you multiple rounds of applause with your review from yesterday, I am impressed. And I'm grateful for your insight and ideas on my stories. As for Izuku finding out Bakugo helped his sister, I don't remember currently if I did write it. For me, my perspective is that Izuku doesn't need to be shown learning every single thing about Katsuki and Izuka-even though he does root for them lol. I mean, I can see why someone wants more of those scenes because of the end of episode 13 overall.
Because of how many episodes this brother-sister relationship has over other sibling relationships I've done, I'm trying to pace it out more so I don't overload the narrative with sibling moments. Hopefully that makes sense. And yes, the ending of the last chapter bugs me a little bit, but hey, that's how the author wanted it. It bugs me because why then he asks the question and not earlier, but I see why it's Yuga, he's an...out there character, so it makes sense if he somehow knows what goes on with his classmates.
The fifth match is currently in progress. Team Uraraka and Aoyama against Thirteen. It's almost over.
I want to support my friend, but up against someone else she admired and that hero had a powerful Quirk...well, let's just say it's not looking good.
Ochaco let out a yell as she and Yuga were holding onto a bar for dear life. They were currently being cornered by Thirteen's Quirk. "Ah! Oh man, but we were so close!" She cried out in dismay.
"There's no way I'll let you get away that easily!" Thirteen stepped closer to them, using Black Hole against them.
Ochaco looked away, gritting her teeth. 'This isn't good! We're trapped! Gotta figure out how to get outta this! Okay, come on! What would Deku do at a time like this?'
"Hey," Yuga spoke up to her.
"Not right now, I'm thinking!" She squeezed her eyes shut.
"About Izuku Midoriya?" He somehow guessed correctly with a straight face. "Ah, how sweet." She gasped while turning to the boy. "Is it...because you like him?"
Her eyes widened as she processed the question, her cheeks turning red. She then yelped as she held them, causing her to let go and to fly backwards. She looked back and screamed in alarm, waving her hands in a panic since she didn't know what she would do once she reached her opponent. Izuka gasped while covering her mouth, Thirteen shocked as well. As Ochaco got closer to the hero, she remembered something from her internship.
"You shouldn't fight on your opponent's field. Instead, make sure you have the advantage. Got it?"
Her face turned serious as she lunged an arm forward. She then grabbed Thirteen by the arm and pinned her to the ground. "Where'd that come from?" Thirteen asked in disbelief, not knowing that it was because of her training with Gunhead.
"Wheee!" Yuga sent himself flying with his laser, landing on top of Thirteen's arm. "And I've got you!"
Ochaco kept her serious expression while holding the handcuffs, putting them on Thirteen. The lessons I learned from Gunhead just so happened to come in handy here. I'm a mini battle hero!
The buzzer then sounded for the exam to end. "Team Aoyama and Uraraka have passed the final."
"Uraraka's judgment was great!" Izuku complimented the girl with a small smile in the exam watching room. "I can't believe she thought to use her opponent's power to get in close!"
"She must've used her training from Gunhead to pull that off! So cool!" Izuka's eyes shined a bit in both shock and awe. It was like Ochaco was a completely different person right about now... "Uraraka-Chan did a great job out there!"
"Ribbit," Tsuyu eyed Ochaco closely, because after seeing what just happened, it definitely didn't seem planned on the brunette's part. "I don't know. It looked to me like Ochaco just lost focus and let go for a second." Ochaco and Yuga were being congratulated by Thirteen, both of them smiling. Although the latter looked a little too proud of himself when all he did was distract the teacher.
"Oh, really?" Izuku turned to Tsuyu in confusion.
"Uh-huh. The two of them were talking. I wonder what Aoyama said that shocked her so much," She commented to the twins.
"Well, it seems that even though she lost focus, she still managed to distract Thirteen and overcome her powerful Quirk," Momo glanced at them, and Tsuyu glanced up in thought as she was remembering something. Ochaco's red face and her nerves wasn't too far off from another female student in their class...
"Who knows?" Izuku looked back towards the screen. "It's too bad we can't hear their conversations."
"Now that I think about it, Ochaco reacted just like you when you're around Bakugo actually, Mido," Tsuyu turned to the girl, who blinked in bewilderment. Even though she had reacted that way a few times around Katsuki, and had been drawing him too much to her embarrassment, she didn't really see the comparisons. When in reality, Tsuyu had been noting her reactions of when Katsuki sometimes was near her, in that she did indeed blush.
"Huh? What are you talking about? And I really don't wanna think about him right now..." She looked away in annoyance at the reminder of him. They were already halfway through the exams, so it wouldn't be too long before they had to do theirs with Katsuki. He was honestly the last thing she wanted to think about, for good reasons: his behavior with her growing up, the current tension they were having, him being rude to her, taking his anger out on Shoto when he did nothing wrong. It was getting to the point where some days, she wanted nothing to do with Katsuki because he frustrated her that much.
"Well, he does take you by surprise a lot like she was just now, doesn't he?" Tsuyu pointed out, Izuka staring at her and furrowing her eyebrows. "He's saved you a lot and you two came into class together once. And he seems pretty mad when Todoroki gets involved."
"Mm...he's not exactly the subtle type, that's for sure. And that was because we just happened to be at the same internship that we arrived to class together..." The shorter girl heaved a heavy sigh. "Just because I'm still standing because of him doesn't mean he gets a reaction like that out of me..."
Well, there is the fact that you can't stop sketching him and he insists on walking you home for his own reasons... Izuku giggled a bit to himself. He did still find it a bit odd of their relationship, but he was sure that they'd be able to work things out sooner or later. Then again, it was Katsuki, a boy who could get very stubborn. So whatever the issue with him was, it was going to take more than time to resolve it. I know that the two deep down have a little respect for each other. They bring out different sides in the other that they're still getting used to.
Now if only Katsuki would just accept it...
The door opened, revealing Tenya arriving after getting a little rest from his match. "Uraraka won. Not surprising. I'm happy for her," He smiled in encouragement.
"Yeah, and you passed too! Congrats!" Izuku smiled back at him.
"Ribbit!"
"Yes, you should be proud of yourselves. It couldn't have been easy," Izuka gestured to the screen. "Not even all of our classmates unfortunately haven't passed the practical, and it looked difficult out there for you and Ojiro-San."
Tenya smiled right back at the four classmates. "Thank you for your enthusiasm," He told them gratefully.
"Now that this match is over, which team is taking the field next?" Tsuyu wondered while looking back towards the screen.
"Ashido and Kaminari are paired up for the next battle," Momo looked back up, crossing her arms. "They're going to have to fight against Principal Nezu."
"The principal of our school," Izuku sweated a little as there was a lot of tension here. Even if any of them knew what his Quirk was, it would still be a tough match. "It's rare we get to see someone like him in action."
"He'll be pretty difficult to capture or run away from..." Izuka frowned a bit, hugging herself.
"We'll have to watch this round carefully," Tenya informed the four, as the match was taking place in Field Gamma, the same place as rescue training class.
"Ribbit."
"Yeah..." Izuku agreed with them as the buzzer sounded.
"Team Ashido and Kaminari. Practical exam. Ready? Go!"
"Okay, so," Mina and Denki were running side by side strategizing. "What do you wanna do?"
"Ah, let's just run," Denki suggested; not just because it was the principal, but because he was underestimating their opponent. "Even if he does find us, he's tiny. I can take care of him with my electricity. Maybe you shouldn't even use your power. It might look bad if you melt the principal."
"I know, right?" She asked gleefully, both of them still excited over camp. The two then came to a stop, gasping as they could hear something. "Hey...what's that noise?"
"It couldn't be the principal..." He murmured in disbelief. "Could it?" The noise got closer, and suddenly, something small ricocheted off of a pipe. The pipe then broke apart, Denki looking up in alarm as it was falling towards him. He gave a nervous sound and ran off. "Watch out!"
Both of them ran off as fast as they could from falling debris everywhere. "Kaminari. What the crap is going on?!" Mina shouted over the chaos.
"I dunno, but it's bad for us! And I'm guessing our opponent is behind it!" He yelled back to his teammate.
He was correct as Principal Nezu was currently controlling a crane, while holding a cup of tea. "Why yes, I am!" He stated with a smile.
Izuka looked at him wide-eyed. "Who knew he could be so brutal?" She gave a nervous laugh, almost glad that she and her team weren't facing him. She did still feel for her classmates...well, Mina moreso than Denki a little bit. He did trick her female classmates into wearing the cheerleading uniforms...
"The principal looks so comfortable in that crane," Tenya commented, looking a little nervous himself.
"Yeah, but...how is he causing all this?" Izuku couldn't help but wonder; if it was a trap, that seemed too simple for the principal. Although if he planned for it, he was pretty lucky that his opponents were losing.
"I don't know, he's too far away," Tsuyu was just as confused as them.
"...He must have predicted their moves," Momo deduced, getting their attention.
"Predicted?" Tsuyu wondered how that was even possible.
"Yes," She turned to her four classmates. "I bet he planned his attacks through sophisticated calculations."
"I can cause chain reactions depending on what I destroy," Principal Nezu revealed with a small smile. He moved his arm so that the wrecking ball would destroy one of the buildings. This caused more debris to fall, including some electric wires. "Such calculations are as easy for me to make as a simple cup of tea." The wires then hit a supply of dynamite, causing an explosion. A sequence of explosions then occurred, and one of the buildings collapsed. Denki and Mina ran as fast as they could, jumping over some traffic cones. "Unfortunately, those two don't realize...that one by one, I'm sealing off every direct path to the escape gate!" The escape gate was to the far left of the area, though both of the students didn't know that. "A genius villain can always win from afar." He then laughed maniacally as his tea dropped all over him.
Principal Nezu. His Quirk: High Specs! He's actually an animal with a Quirk that makes him smarter than humans! A truly unique being that you won't find anywhere else in the world!
Principal Nezu continued to laugh like a mad man...or mad animal. Recovery Girl just gave a small smile. "In the past, humans conducted horrible experiments on Nezu," She informed the five students. All of them were horrified at the display the principal was giving... "So in times like this, he gets his vengeance."
"No wonder why he's the principal..." Izuka sweated a bit, trying to imagine what it was like facing him when someone was sent to his office...or when those rumors were going around about her should he find the person responsible.
"Kaminari," Mina looked around to see if they could spot Nezu. "Can't you just zap him or something?"
"I have no idea where he's hiding, and I don't wanna waste all my shots yet," Denki informed his teammate; he couldn't exactly just start zapping willy-nilly if it meant not finding the principal. And considering the principal's Quirk, he could probably use that electricity against them. No doubt that he knew about both of their Quirks if they managed to find him. "Do you want me to end up braindead? Let's just make for the exit."
"Sure, but where is that even?" She turned around in bewilderment, as the area was a maze essentially and everything almost looked the same.
"Um...this way!" He pointed towards the right and they ran off desperately to find it. However, they came to a dead end, as it was blocked off by debris that they couldn't get past. "That's not good..." A shadow then loomed over the both of them, and they looked up, screaming. They jumped out of the way as a falling pipe almost hit them. The two slid to a stop, Denki looking over his shoulder. "Man! He's seriously trying to kill us!"
"There's still a way out, dear students~" Nezu replied cheerfully while moving around the levers. "Come on, use your heads! Think carefully! Rack those hero brains!"
Mina had made a path by melting the substance. "Over here. This way!"
"Right!" He followed her into what looked like a storage area. "It'll be a bit of a detour. But we might make it to the other side of the gate!"
The ceiling started to shake and they looked up in alarm, screaming as a cloud of dust appeared.
Izuku gave a small frown. "Incredible. He's two steps ahead!"
"And they can't attack him if they don't know where to find him," Tsuyu commented, a bit unnerved. "What an impressive brain."
"The principal's strategy is nearly perfect," Momo commented, impressed as well.
"Without being able to get a better idea of the layout since they can't control their Quirks, both Kaminari-San and Ashido-Chan are at a major disadvantage here," Izuka frowned deeply at the screen. "Even if it wasn't the principal, finding the escape gate would have to rely on pure chance..." Both Mina and Denki didn't have enough time to locate the gate because of the huge area, and didn't have the best mobility to do so. Splitting up would be just as bad on foot, they would most likely end up running in circles.
In the end, they couldn't make it to the escape gate before time ran out.
Nor could they find Principal Nezu anywhere in order to capture him.
And, so...
The buzzer sounded just as they were crawling out of the debris. "Team Ashido and Kaminari have failed due to the time expiring."
"Damn it!" Denki slammed his fist in frustration.
"Oh man, that sucks!" Mina whined as she sunk a little.
Nezu took a victorious sip of tea from the crane. "And here I went and left one escape route open for them because I'm so nice!" He revealed with a smile, and then laughed evilly again.
"So it's over," Izuku frowned a little between his sister and Tsuyu. "They lost."
"They never even saw their opponent," Tenya remarked, all of them feeling bad. "I can't imagine how frustrated they must be."
"Poor Ashido-Chan and Kaminari-San," Izuka sighed deeply, closing her eyes. "I know how much they wanted to go to camp..." Both of them did study hard with Momo to pass the written part of the test after all...
Just then, the doors opened to reveal Ochaco. She flinched as she noticed the screens, rushing inside. "What? Mina's team lost their battle?" She asked in alarm.
"Yes," Momo answered for her. "The principal's game plan was flawless; they just couldn't beat him."
"That's terrible! Oh man, they must be crushed!"
"But you passed," Tenya pointed out to her. "Congratulations!"
She nodded with a small smile. "Thanks, you too, Ida."
"Yeah, you were great out there!" Izuka smiled while stepping forward, holding her hands. "Can you show me that move sometime, Uraraka-Chan?"
"Aw, of course I will," She replied with a bigger smile towards her friend.
"Ochaco," Tsuyu spoke up curiously, getting their attention. "What were you talking to Aoyama about right before the end of your match against Thirteen?"
"Uh-oh, well..." She faltered as she thought back to the question he asked her.
"Is it...because you like him?" The last two words echoed in her mind again.
"Uh!" She gasped, her whole face turning red. She then stepped back, waving her arms rapidly. "Ah, it was nothing! You've got it all wrong!"
"What's the matter with you?" Tenya murmured as Izuka tilted her head in confusion. The same expression happened with Izuku too sometimes. She wondered if it was a bug if even she was getting it apparently.
"It was just battle stuff. Understand?!" Ochaco yelped in defense, Izuku looking just as confused as his sister.
"Your face is...so red," Tenya murmured as the brunette was thoroughly embarrassed.
"I promise, you guys!" She insisted to the group.
"That might be a private conversation that we shouldn't butt into, Tsu-Chan..." Izuka gave a sheepish grin to Tsuyu, who stared at Ochaco curiously. Then again, Tsuyu wasn't known for being subtle.
Something happened out there, huh, Ochaco? Tsuyu then turned to Izuka. "She reacted the exact same way again as you, Mido. Even Bakugo sometimes I catch like that, like when he keeps hurting Mineta every time he stares at you."
"Huh? Mineta-San kept peeking at me?" Izuka looked a bit annoyed, looking away. "I doubt Uraraka-Chan and Bakugo-San have the same type of reaction. He was probably just a bit flushed from having to sweat to make the explosions, that's all," She huffed a bit, though she wasn't surprised to learn of that. Minoru sneaking peeks at her was typical for him, plus she sat near him in class. The only thing she couldn't figure out was why Katsuki cared so much to get Minoru to stop. Maybe for the shortest classmate being a pervert, but that was nothing new for him... She then gasped as she realized what Tsuyu said, whipping around to her while screeching in embarrassment. "I-I don't get like that with Bakugo-San, I already said this!" She denied, though her cheeks were red now just like Ochaco's.
Izuku just closed his eyes with an amused smile on his face. She sounds like a broken record at this rate.
"Then how come your face is getting red right now just mentioning him?" Tenya blinked, pointing at her face.
"M-Maybe because...I'm still mad at him that I'm starting to get a fever," Izuka stumbled a bit, grunting a bit and looking away to try and calm down. Unfortunately, that tactic didn't seem to be working. "Anyway, it's not important..."
"Surely you remember his odd behavior towards you. You also grew up with him," Tenya pointed out and she sighed heavily.
"I-I did, but so what? That doesn't mean anything to him," She stammered as she coughed in embarrassment, hoping that the conversation would end soon. Why is that I can't stop reacting like this? He's still a jerk who I'm still angry with right now, that hasn't changed at all. He's been rude to my brother and myself all the time. And yet...sometimes, I can't help but feel like he's not as rude as he can be...like he might actually not hate my guts like I want to do with him.
Ribbit. She must be hiding something about her and Bakugo to react like that, huh? Tsuyu analyzed her face, and before anyone could comment, the buzzer went off again. They whipped around to the screen to see that the next exam was starting.
"Team Koda and Jiro. Practical exam. Ready? Go!" The exam this time was in a forest area.
"Let's avoid combat with Present Mic if possible and head straight for the escape gate," Kyoka suggested to her teammate. "Sound good?"
He nodded silently as they were both hiding behind trees.
"Then let's hit it," Kyoka ran off first, followed by Koji. Both of them ran down a path that would hopefully lead them to the escape gate.
"The practical exams match students up with teachers they're supposed to have a hard time against," Tenya pointed out to his classmates. "That's the whole point, right?"
"Yes," Momo answered as the others looked up hopefully.
"And it's easy to see what this team's weaknesses are," Izuku commented, earning a nod from Tsuyu.
"I agree. What are they gonna do against Present Mic?" The frog-like girl wondered, since Koji was too soft-spoken, like how Izuka was slowly inching away from. Meanwhile, Kyoka could only hear things from a ranged distance. Neither Quirk really suited any combat ability compared to Present Mic's, even though he wasn't much of a fighter.
"Both of them have sound-related Quirks. But their opponent will be able to drown out everything around them," Izuku explained a bit gravely.
"I'm sure both of them can come up with a plan to distract Mr. Present Mic long enough to escape him," Izuka turned to her brother optimistically.
Present Mic was waiting at the escape gate and he let out a big sigh. "Come on, let's hurry up and finish this set. Some people have arbor ardor, but I'm much more of a city kitty, ya dig?" He gave a small shrug and then lifted up his head. "YEAH!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, letting out a sonic boom from his mouth. And his voice projected so loud that it reached the two students. Both of them covered their ears in pain.
"It's so loud!" Kyoka cried out, gritting her teeth. The sonic boom stopped seconds later, and she looked towards Koji in a panic. "Koda! You can control animals with your Quirk, can't you?" She earned a nod in response. "Okay, get some birds to attack him or something!" He then waved his hands rapidly, using gestures to speak for him.
'Even if I wanted to order them to do that, Present Mic's Voice will make the animals run away!' He conveyed to her. It would just be a constant battle for him if he kept summoning animals over and over again, even if all three had their own weaknesses to their Quirks.
"His shouts make me feel like my eardrums are gonna burst," She gritted her teeth after understanding what he wanted to tell her. "He's not just better than I thought he'd be. He's like a super-powered death amp! A speaker of doom!" The two then ran off again. "There's no way we can get close to him. And even if we could, he'd probably see us coming. I bet he's just standing at the gate waiting for us!"
Present Mic was whistling innocently as she guessed correctly. "Hurry up and...COME OUT!" He sent out another sonic scream.
"My ears!" Kyoka cried out in agony.
"I'm getting bored!" He yelled at the same volume.
"I don't think I can take it anymore!" Kyoka shouted and the teacher finally stopped, letting out a yawn. He wasn't fazed in the slightest.
Present Mic. This time it was Mr. Aizawa's voice instead of Present Mic's. His Quirk: Voice. He's got crazy high pitches, crazy bass, and crazy volume. His parents and the doctor in the room bled from the ears the first time he cried. Oh, by the way. The device around his neck is a directional speaker.
"HURRY UP ALREADY!" Present Mic screeched, Kyoka sitting and covering her ears again. Koji was kneeling on the ground next to her, both of them shaking. Once Present Mic stopped, both of them looked up.
"Any more of this and we might go deaf," She whispered as she furrowed her eyebrows. "So what now?" She glanced down at the rock they were hiding behind to see an ant. "An ant?" She then gasped in realization. "Hey, Koda! You control bugs and stuff, right? Look at this!" She held up her fist. "An ally!"
As soon as he saw it, Koji grew a bit pale and then screamed in horror. She was confused by this and held it closer, earning another scream. He then ran off in terror, going off to hide. "So...he doesn't like bugs," She deduced after seeing this display. Honestly, she couldn't blame him, but they had to do something to counteract Present Mic or else they'd fail.
"THERE YOU ARE!" Present Mic's booming voice screamed, causing her to cover her ears again. She grunted and stood up, moving one of her ear jacks.
"This won't help, but I can try to..." She put into her boot, sending a sonic wave of her own. "Cancel him out!" This proved to be successful for now as he leaned against the fence. Though he wasn't affected by this at all.
"Sounds like someone needs better subwoofers."
Kyoka grunted again, slowly shaking her head to try and get rid of the splitting headache. "Do you have a plan, Koda?" She glanced up at him behind the tree. He rapidly shook his head no and she looked down to think. "What should we-"
"LET'S MAKE SOME NOISE!" Present Mic interrupted again, and both of them covered their ears. It was like his voice was a radio inside of their ears.
We need a way to get past his voice. At this rate, we won't even see him before time runs out. She glanced towards Koji. "Koda! Just tell me if it's possible for you to control bugs or not, okay?" She called out in a bit of annoyance.
He slowly gave her a thumbs up, still being affected by the teacher's Quirk. "Good!" She plugged her jack into a rock, vibrating it so that it would explode. Koji looked up to see a bunch of bugs that were hiding underneath the rock. He then let out another screech of terror. "Sorry, I know it's scary, but-"
"HEY!"
Kyoka winced and covered her ears again in pain. "Our opponent is way too strong! This is the only thing I can think of!" She shouted over the noise. Once it was over, Koji had tears in his eyes. "If you can pull it off, we still have a chance."
He slowly looked up in terror at her. "You can do it! You wanna be a hero, don't you?" She then turned to him with a smile, moving away her hands. "If so, then we gotta pass!" If anything, Kyoka would rather not push her teammate to do something he was scared of. But this was the only plan she had in order to pass. Her own sound wasn't enough to counteract Present Mic's long enough for them to escape or capture him.
He stared at her for a few seconds and then noticed something, gasping. Taking a closer look, he noticed...that Kyoka's right ear was actually bleeding due to Present Mic's continuous use of his voice. Jiro's ears are...bleeding! He then looked panicked as he held his head. She had to fight because I ran away! It's my fault!
He let out a small whimper, looking down at the bugs as his vision blurred a bit. He kneeled in fear, shaking as he felt like he had a difficult decision to make...but he wanted to be a hero, and he didn't want Kyoka to suffer anymore because of his fear.
"You got into UA High?" Mrs. Koda rushed up to Koji happily. "I'm just so happy for you, son!" She then hugged him with tears in her eyes. "I'm so proud of my little Koji!"
'Wait a minute! I got into UA, didn't I?' He then moved away his own hands, gritting his teeth. Where all the best pros are trained. My heart should be without fear. I have to be Plus Ultra! He then bent down to the bugs. "Go on, tiny ones, hear my call, now is the time for you to take out the man who's responsible for all this terrible noise..."
"You can talk?!" Kyoka screeched as besides possibly Fumikage, she was the only other classmate to hear his voice so far.
Present Mic whistled while waiting by the escape gate. Time was running out, so he knew that they wouldn't let themselves fail. Meaning they realized that they had to encounter him at some point. "What's the deal? Are they gonna run down the clock and hide out the whole time?" He then looked down as he heard something, a crack appearing next to his foot. Some bugs shot up, causing him to yelp in alarm. They started to crawl up his arms, and he shook in fear. They're coming from underground where sound doesn't travel well! Oh man! This is why I hate the outdoors so much!
He screamed in utter horror, most of the other six classmates watching looking a little sick. The only one who wasn't bothered by this was Tsuyu—probably because frogs usually ate bugs, though not her.
"That's tough, even for a pro," Tenya commented while trying to keep it together. He would've freaked out too if he had to experience it.
"Wow, Koda. Harsh move," Izuku murmured while Recovery Girl didn't look happy.
"He let a few bugs beat him?" She wondered as Present Mic was on the ground, frothing at the mouth. Koji was carrying Kyoka through the escape gate.
"I think he might require your assistance, Ms. Recovery Girl..." Izuka laughed a bit awkwardly. If not for the possible bug or insect bites he could get with his body covered in them, he'd probably need a little therapy...
"Team Koda and Jiro have passed the exam!"
Gunshots fired and hit a wall. The eighth match had begun of Toru and Mezo versus Snipe. They were currently hiding behind a concrete wall while the teacher was shooting. "Shoji," Toru spoke up in a bit of fear. "At this rate, we'll be trapped here forever!"
Mezo was currently on lookout using his Quirk. "Don't worry. He's only one man. Still, escaping this wall be a Herculean task," He informed as he could see the escape gate, but they'd have to get past Snipe to get there...and capturing him wouldn't be an easy task either, since they had to get past the gun. "The only advantage is that our opponent's movements are slowed by those weights." But even he knew it wasn't much assistance because Snipe was really good at his aim. It reminded them almost of Izuka.
Snipe was hiding a few feet away from the escape gate, so if they got into his line of sight, he would see them. "Now, why don't we see who's better at hide and seek?" He tossed something onto the ground, revealed to be a smoke bomb. It spun around as it went off.
"A smoke bomb!" Mezo narrowed his eyes a little bit. "He's trying to blind us. But at least it's going to affect his vision at the same time."
"I can still sense your presence here," Snipe spoke up while stepping through the smoke. He then started shooting again, and Mezo hid behind the wall. The shots grazed the structure, and soon, he would find them. Mezo glanced up as the wall was starting to crumble and he ran off just as it collapsed. He took to hiding behind another wall.
"You all right, Hagakure?" He wondered, but noticed that she was actually nowhere to be found. "Hagakure?" He looked back at the smoke in concern, Snipe still shooting. He noticed that her boots and gloves were on the ground, meaning that no one could see her movements anymore, not even him. "So that's what she's doing," He murmured in thought, running out into the smoke.
Snipe immediately saw him and pointed his gun at the tall student. "Don't be rash, kid," He aimed right for Mezo, who stood in front of the bullets as they didn't actually hit him. He then looked up and saw Snipe's shadow, the teacher getting even closer to him. Mezo didn't seem fazed and held up his hands in a surrender. "Aren't you givin' up a little too easy for a hero?"
Suddenly, the pair of handcuffs got his arm, revealed to be because of Toru having snuck up on him. "There, I got him!" She exclaimed to her teammate.
"Where did you-" As the teacher was talking, his wrist unfortunately...lightly touched her breast. She yelped in alarm and he gasped, realizing what it was immediately. "Oh, no."
"Mr. Snipe, you pervert!" She shouted and he flinched, immediately waving a hand.
"It was an accident! I couldn't see ya! I didn't do it on purpose! I promise!" He immediately apologized while Mezo just watched, not sure how to feel. "Forgive me! I would never! You're a student, I respect women!"
The buzzer then sounded since they did technically capture him, although he was now probably never gonna hear the end of this... "Team Hagukure and Shoji have passed the exam."
"It's just as I expected," Momo smiled proudly at her two classmates. "Hagakure is the best there is at stealth ops."
"And Shoji had the guts to face Mr. Snipe head on, and be their distraction!" Izuku smiled in awe, especially since Mezo didn't even need to question the plan. He just did what was needed without having to wonder anything. That proved how much he trusted Toru.
"Ribbit," Tsuyu and Ochaco nodded in agreement.
"Poor Mr. Snipe, though..." Izuka sweated a bit; both of them were probably pretty embarrassed by now... I really hope that both of them can get past that, at least Mineta-San probably didn't see it and get jealous as a result.
"Yeah..." Izuku rubbed the back of his neck knowingly.
The buzzer sounded again for the penultimate match to begin in a mountainous area. "Team Mineta and Sero. Practical exam. Ready? Go!"
Ochaco blinked in realization, turning to the twins. "Hey Deku, Mido, isn't your match up next? Shouldn't you two be waiting in the exam area?" She wondered to the duo.
"Oh," He nodded as Izuka glanced away with a groan from the reminder. "Probably. But I wanna make sure I see everyone else fight," He then turned back to the screen. "It's definitely interesting to see how each team uses their Quirks. But I also feel like I'm getting stronger watching them. Our classmates are just so amazing. Even if they didn't pass, they fought until the very end. Every one of them embodies what it means to be a UA student!"
She smiled happily at him, admiring Izuku just a little more.
"For me, well...Bakugo-San isn't exactly something I look forward to waiting on working together with, I'll admit," Izuka scratched her cheek and then looked up with a small smile. "Barring that, I wanna watch and see how I can take inspiration to use my own Quirk. It gives me a different perspective, you know? I feel like with each classmate, I get to learn a little more about them and how I can interact with you more. Even now, I...I want to keep growing with them, even the ones who failed today."
Momo and Ochaco both smiled as she had come a long way from being who they first saw her as. She wasn't even stammering as much with her classmates anymore.
"Well, um..." Tenya spoke up with a wince while watching the screen.
"Mostly," Momo finished for him, a blank look on her face.
"Looks like one of our peers is giving up," Tsuyu pointed as Minoru...was currently running away screaming and crying. The twins were both baffled by this, especially Izuku since he had seen beforehand that Minoru stepped up before...he was screaming and crying back then too, but he still managed to help at the end of the day. Even if he was being a bit much with Tsuyu.
"What is he doing...?"
"Little brother, are you sure this the same Mineta-San you said helped you and Tsu-Chan during the USJ incident before Mr. All Might showed up?" Izuka pointed nervously at Minoru. She wanted to believe her brother since she wasn't there to witness it, but right now, she just couldn't see it.
"Damn it!" The short boy cried out in dismay. "How am I supposed to pass this stupid final? This is crap!" Tears were flowing from his eyes. "Totally unfair! There's no way we ever stood a chance at winning here!"
"But he was looking forward to the training camp so much..." Izuku gave a small frown. "Why is he ready to give up now?" Sure, Minoru had...questionable motive behind wanting to go to camp, but it was still at least a strong drive to pass.
"I don't know if he can bounce back from this," Recovery Girl spoke up, getting their attention. "As far as the practical exams go, All Might, Present Mic, Cementoss, and Midnight are especially hard opponents for you kids to best." Midnight gave a pleased smirk as Hanta...was sleeping on her lap. The escape gate was right behind her. "It's not hard to imagine someone feeling as though they have no possible way to win."
Midnight! Her Quirk: Somnambulist. She can put people to sleep with the fragrance coming off of her body. It usually does better on guys than girls. This was how she got Katsuki to fall asleep when he won the Sports Festival...and how Hanta was currently asleep. I see it's working. Ye-hah!
She let out a chuckle as she watched Minoru get farther away. "Where are you going, Grape Juice? The gate's the other way," The teacher teased a little.
The short boy then turned around, blood in his eyes. "Sero, you bastard!" He growled in jealousy, even though his classmate couldn't help it. It wasn't like Hanta asked to be on Midnight's lap. "I'll never forgive you for getting to be in her lap!"
Is he crying blood? Ochaco and Izuku had their mouths opened in shock. Izuka bit her lip nervously while Tsuyu kept a normal expression.
He's that jealous of Sero?
"It coulda been me!" Minoru shouted while throwing off something from his costume.
Hanta and Minoru were looking for their teacher, who was hiding behind a rock. She chuckled as she peeked at the two, coming out of hiding. "Look out! You can't get too close to her!" Hanta fired off his tape at Minoru, wrapping around his waist. The smaller boy yelped as he was flung into the air, though this left him open for the teacher to use her Quirk. He flinched as her fragrance surrounded him, his helmet opening up. He then fell to the ground, and she gave a surprised sound as the back of his head touched her breast.
Boobies! And legs! Minoru gritted his teeth angrily. He's all over her! He was throwing off the tape Hanta used on him. "If Sero hadn't saved me, I'd be the one curled up with her right now!" He cried out and Izuka groaned a bit.
"Doesn't he remember that he's supposed to be taking a final...?" The girl murmured while pinching her nose. She thought that Minoru would be all over trying to pass just to go to camp, but apparently not if he was running away. Recovery Girl wasn't wrong, but there had to be an opening for Minoru if he was able to use it.
"Mineta..." Izuku murmured too in a bit of disbelief.
"It might be hard for a kid like that to make it out of this school," Recovery Girl explained, the boy turning to her.
"Wait, what do you mean?"
"UA is constantly creating new obstacles that our students have to overcome. In order to keep moving forward successfully, students need to have a concrete goal to focus on. If your desire is just to be a hero for no reason, your path isn't going to be easy. If someone whose only wish is to become a hero reaches their goal, then they have no real future," She stated, Izuku turning to screen with a small frown. "I wonder...is there a goal in that child's heart he can focus on to win? And I hope he can do it in a way that's not endangering himself, he's been to my office just as much as you and your sister."
"Wait, what?" Izuka blinked in bewilderment. "Did he say why?"
"Oh, just that Bakugo is being selfish or something like that. It's not my place, but perhaps you can talk some sense into him," She looked towards Izuka, who faltered a bit.
Is that why Bakugo-San kept hurting him before? Because he thinks that I have a real future with my abilities? She clenched a shaking fist. There's no way he thinks of me of anyone other than some weakling...right?
Minoru panted as he came to a stop, trying to take a breather. He then gave a dismayed look. "I want girls to love, so I can touch them..."
"Well, that's straightforward," Recovery Girl remarked in response.
"What's their problem?" He grumbled to himself. "Why is my exam the only one this hard? Just one sniff and I'll fall asleep and our team will be failures!" He then gritted his teeth, looking bitter. "It's impossible!"
"So, Mineta," Tsuyu started off at the USJ. "Are you really sure you came to UA to be a hero?"
He then let out a growl. "That stupid frog, of course I did!"
"What? No way?" A few girls at Minoru's middle school surrounded a boy. "Are you being serious?"
"You wanna see it? You'll have to go with me, then."
"Okay. That sounds great!" The girl gushed while Minoru watched from afar. He then gave a dismayed look since girls wouldn't even notice him...
He took one of his balls from his head. I wanted to be a pro so that I'd be popular with the girls. I thought they'd fall in love with me once I became a real hero. He then remembered what Izuku did, and Izuka as well before they got separated. Dammit, I thought it'd make me cool!
He heard something and glanced back with a gasp. Something smacked the ball out of his hand. He landed with a thump as smoke was behind him. Midnight walked out of it. "I figured I'd stay posted at the escape gate until time ran out," She spoke up, holding her whip. "But on second thought, I have a deeper itch that needs to be scratched." He slowly looked up as she had a seductive look in her eyes. "If I see someone running away from me and screaming..." She licked her lip, gaining a big grin. "My sadistic side aches so bad that I can't sit still."
"Look at her," He trembled while looking over his shoulder; if this were any other situation, he wouldn't even be scared. "She's got the eyes of a predator who's cornered her prey! It's like something out of my best-worst nightmare!" He yelped and covered his mouth and nose.
"Give in," She held her whip tight while stepping forward. "You know it's over. One tiny breath and you'll submit to me. Then I'll have absolute control of you." He ran away once again, which only excited her more. "Oh, perfect! I do love the chase."
I'm not just running this time He thought as the teacher cracked her whip. When I first came to UA, I had a brush with death. And after that, I realized something. Being a hero doesn't make you cool. People become heroes because they're cool! Mr. Aizawa, All Might, and the twins in particular came to mind. Right, Midoriya, Mido?
Izuku was watching in anticipation while Izuka bit at her thumb. She didn't like Minoru's behavior towards her or her female classmates, at all, but that didn't mean she was actively wanting him to fail the test either.
He hid behind a rock. "How long do you suppose you can evade my scent by holding your breath?" Midnight taunted a little, the smoke getting closer to his hiding spot.
"You think I don't have a plan?" He retorted back through a muffled voice, causing her to stop. "I'm obviously a fan of heroes that are kinda pervy. And that means I know all about you, Ms. Midnight. I ran away from the gate and cried just to fan your sadistic side. I lured you this far out here so I'd have a shot at escaping. This was all a part of my plan to win and prove that I'm actually cool!"
She smiled proudly after hearing this. "You sweet little boy," She then gripped her sleeve. "Why don't you come out and play?" She sent out more smoke, just as he came out of hiding. He had tape over his mouth, holding some of his sticky balls like discs.
"Your fragrance won't work like this!" He shouted underneath the tape. "Will it, lady?"
She flinched in shock at this move. He used Sero's tape! She gripped her whip. "But do you really think you can fight me in a state of suffocation?!" Midnight screamed while throwing her weapon, and he continued running towards her. He threw his sticky balls, which started to touch her whip.
I don't have to fight you He continued throwing more from his head. This is it. Some of them started to get stuck to her body, causing her to gasp sharply. You're right where I want you. He leaped forward, and she was stuck in place. It's time to taste my special move! She looked up in utter disbelief as he rushed past her.
"Grape Rush!" He shouted as because his sticky balls surrounded her, she couldn't get her weapon out. She lifted up her mask, looking back with a smile.
"How impressive!"
His six classmates gasped in awe of him. "He managed to trap her away from the gate!" Izuku exclaimed while clenching a fist. "There's no way her Quirk can stop him now!"
"Oh, so he's pretty clever," Recovery Girl gave a small smile, almost taking back what she was saying. "I think that kid pulled one over on all of us." At the end of the day...wanting to be popular with girls is a concrete goal for him.
He ripped off the tape from his mouth, coughing. Hanta was unfortunately still asleep, and it didn't seem like he'd wake up anytime soon. You idiot He thought of his classmate. If you hadn't tried to be a big-bad rescue hero and save me, then I wouldn't have to work so hard. He passed through the escape gate while carrying Hanta. Thanks to me, we'll live to see boobs another day!
The buzzer sounded, ending the 9th match. "Team Mineta and Sero have passed the exam."
"All right, they did it!" Tenya smiled at the screen.
"Mineta actually had a solid plan!" Momo smiled too, though this would be a rare time she would praise him.
"Ribbit."
"Deku, Mido!" Ochaco looked past Tsuyu. "Your turn-" She then saw that they were already gone. Both of them were running down a pathway. Izuka would use her flying power, but she needed to save energy for the practical.
Mineta. Good job! We'll try our best to be heroes too. So we don't let our class down!
You may be a creep sometimes, but I'm genuinely proud of you, Mineta-San. Just...maybe tone down things down a bit moving forward Izuka had a sheepish smile on her face. The likelihood of that happening was on the same level of her and Katsuki not being at each other's throats. Both of them then came to a stop as they could see Katsuki up ahead. Izuka took a deep breath, trying to keep a level head. Working with him was going to be...a challenge, to put it lightly. The blond flinched, looking back to see his teammates as they came to a stop.
"Tch," He scoffed towards the two of them, turning back around. Izuka grunted a little in annoyance from his behavior. Izuku silently gulped as this would turn out as expected...
"Team Midoriyas and Bakugo. Practical exam." All Might was standing right in front of the escape gate. "Ready? Go!"